8 Things to consider when moving Interstate

1) Best time to do it

Compared to moving to a house round the corner, or in the next suburb over, moving interstate is a pretty involved process. You can’t do it in a day like you could with a local move – you’ll need to allow for more time.

The best time to do this is in the summer. If you have kids at school, then they’ll have time off between terms, and this is a great window to move in. If you don’t have kids at school, summer is still a great time to plan an interstate move, as you’ll likely have time off from work around this time, or a pre-planned break over the Christmas period.

2) Interstate moves are more expensive

Moving interstate is not cheap. It’s an involved process. Usually if you’re moving locally, you’d have the same team pick up your belongings, pack them on the truck and then transport them to your new house all in the same day.

With interstate moves, you’ll likely have different teams on either end of your move, packing, unpacking and shipping your belongings. This all adds to the cost.

Interstate moves are of course also more expensive because of the distance involved, and with Australia being one of the largest countries in the world, those distances can be vast.

3) Pack the essentials and bring them with you

Because you and your belongings will travel separately during your interstate move, it’s important you bring essential belongings with you in your car, or on your flight.

This could include things such as enough clothes for the next week or two, important paperwork, ID and financial documents, and anything else you’ll need to get by.

4) Moving interstate with kids

Moving interstate as a family is a big deal. It’s not just you who will be affected – you’ll need to prepare your kids as well. We suggest you get them involved in the decision-making from the outset. Some things to consider include:

Breaking the news – make sure you tell them you’re planning to move the family interstate with plenty of time in advance. It doesn’t have to be a tough conversation; you can make it into a new adventure.

Downsizing their items – Kids are just as bad as us grownups at hoarding belongings. Preparing for the interstate move is the ideal opportunity for your kids to go through their toy box and chuck out anything they don’t want any more, while helping you downsize the rest of the household items.

Researching the new area – Put your kids in charge of finding out all about the new area. What is there to do? What can they see? What is it famous for?

Visiting in advance – If possible, try and visit the area as a family ahead of the move. It’ll put your kids minds at rest, and help get them excited about the impending big move.

5) Pets, cars and motorbikes

Moving interstate means a long-distance journey. You might want to drive to your new location, or it might just be too far away to do it realistically. Consider what you’re going to do with your car, your pets or your motorbikes. Removalists can help you come up with solutions to transport your vehicles or your animals to help them arrive in your destination in style and comfort.

6) Schedule enough time

You and your essential belongings you’ve brought with you might arrive in a day or so, but don’t expect the rest of your house to arrive with you. It’s not uncommon for even the most well-trodden of relocation routes to take a week for your belongings to arrive. If you’re going off the beaten track slightly, then it could take as long as a few weeks… so be prepared and bring all your essentials with you!

7) Backloading

If you want to keep costs down on your move, or you don’t have loads and loads of things to bring with you, then you could consider ‘backloading’.

Backloading is like hitching a ride with another family moving to the same area. If there is space available in their shipping container, you can add your belongings into the shipment, and save money in the process.

It’s environmentally friendly as it helps reduce your carbon footprint sharing the journey, and it can help make moving interstate more affordable for you and the others sharing your container.

8) Insurance

Don’t forget insurance! A good removalist will offer you a variety of insurances to cover all eventualities. Some areas to consider getting insured for include:

Accidental damage – insurance cover that will cover any loading, unloading and packing accidents.

Transit insurance – keep your goods covered while they’re being transported to your new home.

Late arrivals insurance – If you need your belongings in a hurry and they don’t arrive when you expect them to, this insurance can help cover any potential losses.

In Summary

A good removalist will talk you through everything you need to think about when moving interstate. We’ve covered the basics, and it should give you plenty of ideas of what to expect. Speak to us now and we’ll help you start your interstate adventure.